Kiev court resumes trial of former premier Timoshenko

The court commenced the final stage of the trial - the arguments of the parties

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KIEV, September 27 (Itar-Tass) — Kiev's Pechora district court on Tuesday resumed the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko. The court commenced the final stage of the trial - the arguments of the parties.

Prior to the Tuesday hearing, Timoshenko's supporters tried to break through the turngate near the arch leading to the entrance to the Pechora court, and clashed with law-enforcement bodies. They have been staging rallies in her support for two months.

Timoshenko is accused of exceeding her authority when signing gas supply contracts with Russia in January 2009.

She has been under arrest since August 5. The trial began on June 24.

Earlier, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko accused her of wrecking gas contracts with Russia in 2009.

Yushchenko said during a testimony at Kiev's Pechora court that Timoshenko had declined Russia’s offer to purchase gas at 250 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters with the transit rate at 1.7 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

In April, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case against Timoshenko, accusing her of causing a 1.5-billion-hrivna (200 million dollar) damage to the state.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leadership is seeking to revise the gas contracts with Russia, signed by Timoshenko, by cutting the volume of imported gas and decreasing its price. It also wants to return to the practice of short-term gas supply contracts.